CUPERTINO, Calif — I’m standing in a warehouse parking lot at an undisclosed location just a few miles from Apple’s headquarters here.

The company, once known for keeping massive projects a secret, has recently been battling a string of product leaks. But as I try to figure out exactly where I am, I’m told Apple is ready to pull the sheets off something that’s been more than three years in the making. Something that, Apple believes, has never been done, or seen, before.

As we walk toward the warehouse, the doors automatically lift from above. Inside, boxes crowd the space. But positioned a few steps beyond the entrance is what we’ve come here to see: a large machine, encased in glass, that occupies almost the full width of the facility.